U.S. adoptions of Russian children up in the air

January 11, 2013

On January 1, a ban was signed by Russian officials prohibiting U.S. families from adopting children from Russia, according to BBC News. Now, officials from Russia are deciding how they will handle the adoptions that have currently been in the process of approval, and the president spokesman recently cleared up the uncertainty, announcing the decision will depend on whether or not the child has been approved yet.

"Those who have received a court decision will go. Those who do not have a decision will not go," said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

There were approximately 50 cases that were being processed at the time of the ban being signed, and only a handful of them are expected to have gotten court approval in that time. As a result, many of the American families who were expecting a child will not get one, according to the media outlet.

This ban was in response to the U.S. putting forth legislation that blacklists Russian officials who have been accused of being human rights violators.